Series: Sons of Stillwater (Book 2)
From the front lines to unexpected romance -- and danger
-- in small-town Wyoming
After a war zone bomb nearly destroyed Bryce Delaney,
he's worked hard to hide his scars. Back in his Wyoming hometown, he can
pretend the nightmares don't exist. But when a secretive, beautiful new woman
in town disappears, Bryce's protective instincts put him on the front lines
again.
Wanted for murder and on the run under an alias, former
A-list actress Steffi Grantham can't return to her life until she clears her
name. It's her boss, Bryce, to the rescue, but desire ties them together, and
she's forced to make a choice that could cost them both. Trusting the wrong man
once before almost stole her freedom. Now it might take her life.
Good book. Bryce has returned from the war a changed man.
He still goes to work each day and does his job, but he's haunted by the things
that happened. When one of his new employees blows off another meeting, he's
had enough. Steffi has challenged him from day one, but it's that odd
connection that has been helping him get through each day. When he arrives at
her home to fire her, he discovers her weak and sick instead of purposely
defying him. His inner protector is stirred,
and he stays to take care of her and is
there when someone attempts to kidnap her.
Steffi is more than just Bryce's newest driver. She is a
famous Hollywood actress who is wanted for questioning in a murder
investigation and is hiding out in Wyoming while she tries to figure out how to
clear her name. She is wary of trusting anyone, least of all her boss. But she
can't deny that he was there for her when she needed him most.
This book was a good mix of action and romance from the
beginning. There is a definite connection between Bryce and Steffi, an
attraction that simmers beneath the antagonism. When Bryce finds her and cares
for her while she's sick, she has an unexpected feeling of safety with him. There's
also something about her that won't let Bryce walk away from helping her. Things
get very intense, very fast, when Steffi and Bryce are attacked and kidnapped. Steffi
has discovered a connection between the murder she is wanted for and the murder
of her parents. The man responsible desperately wants to get his hands on her.
It was an intense time as Bryce and Steffi play cat and
mouse with the murderer. A brief encounter as they are captured reveals what the man wants
before they can make their escape. Their
attempts to find the proof they need have them barely one step ahead of the bad
guy in several heart-stopping close encounters. Each new piece of information
strengthens their knowledge of what they have to do. The final confrontation is beautifully planned and executed with the
help of Bryce's brothers, though there are a couple
of unexpected twists.
I enjoyed the development of Bryce and Steffi's
relationship. The attraction is strong and pulls hard at them both, though each
has reason to resist. Bryce's war related issues have him avoiding any kind of emotional entanglements. He limits
himself to brief no-strings affairs, cutting ties when anyone seems to get too
close. For Steffi, witnessing the deaths of her parents, then Greg has reduced her already limited ability to
trust to nothing. I liked how the situations they found themselves in drew them
closer together and encouraged them to share their fears. I especially liked
Bryce's patience as Steffi learned that she could believe in him. Bryce's
willingness to finally share what happened to him went a long way to getting
him to see the possibility of a future with Steffi. The scene in the hospital,
post confrontation, was romantic with just enough amusement to make it perfect.
I liked the ending, and how, though love
was declared quickly, they still took the time to get to know each other
better.
